Article transfer apparatus



Jan. 12, 1954 E. L. MIDGLEY ETAL 2,665,831

ARTICLE TRANSFER APPARATUS Filed Jan. 19, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l i iNVENTORS ERIC L. MIDGLEY CHARLES A. YOUNG BY c? ATTOR Y Jan. 12, 1954 E. L. MIDGLEY ETAL ARTICLE TRANSFER APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 19, 1952 ERIC E- L. MIDGLEY ETAL ARTICLE TRANSFER APPARATUS Jan. 12, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. I9, 1952 Patented Jan. 12, 1954 Q 2,665,831 ARTICLE TRANSFER APPARATUS Eric L. Midgley, Salem, and CharlesA. Young,

Glmucester, Mass, ,assignorsto Sylvania Electriov Products Ina, Salem, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts.

Application January 19, 1952', Serial No. 267,286

a Claims. 1

This invention relates to transfer apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for transferring elongated tubular articles such as fluorescent lamps from one machine to another.

In the manufacture of fluorescent lamps, elongated glass tubes having a coating of fluorescent material on the inner wall thereof." are positioned on a lamp sealing machine where electrode mounts are sealed to the ends thereof. The lamp is then transferred by a conveyor to a lamp exhaust machine where further manufacturing operations are performed thereon. Heretofore it has been the practice to have an operator load the exhaust machine with lamps fed thereto by the conveyor.

An object of this invention is to automatically load lamps on a fluorescent lamp exhaust machine.

Another object is to provide a transfer arm which will automatically load lamps on a fluorescent lamp exhaust machine.

A further object is to provide a transfer arm for unloading fluorescent. lamps from-a conveyor and feeding them to an exhaust machine.

These and other objects, advantages and features are attained in accordance with the principles of our invention by locating a transfer arm in proximity to both the conveyor from which the lamps are taken and the exhaust machineto which they are fed and providing the arm with actuating mechanisms to effect this transfer. More particularly, in the specific embodiment of our invention shown in the accompanying drawings and described below, the transferapparatus is, a reciprocating arm mounted on the exhaustmachine. The arm is provided with a lamp-grasping head thereon which, when the arm is actuated, takes a lamp from the conveyor and carries it to a station on the exhaust machine in register with but spaced from an exhaust head} thereon. Thereafter the lamp is moved upwardlyinto position in engagement with the exhaust head.

In the specificembodiment of this. invention shown in the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a fragmentary plan View of a lamp exhaust machine, a conveyor and a lamp transfer appara tus associated therewith. V p

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the lamp transfer apparatus.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectionai view'of the head of the transfer apparatus; Figure 4 isa sectional viewof'the. head of-"the transfer apparatus taken along the-line 4-'4'i of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is: a. perspective. viewer thevv device for lockingthe lamp-grasping jaw of the transfer apparatus.

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the transfer arm assembly takenv along the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, particularly Figures 1' and 2 thereof, fluorescent lamp In with exhaust tube It extending from the upper end thereof is withdrawn from conveyor l2 and fed to exhaust machine M by head l5 mounted on transfer arm It. That portionof the conveyor I2 shown in Figure 1 comprises a plurality of heads ['8 mounted on endless link chain 2!! driven by sprocket wheel 22 mounted on shaft 24. That portion of the exhaust machine. It shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises spider 26, ring plate 28 mounted about the periphery of the spider, and a. plurality of exhaust heads 36 mounted on the ring plate. The exhaust heads 33 are indexed to aplurality of work stations by shaft '32 on which the spider 2.6 is mounted. A lamp-gripping jaw 34', mounted on av rod 36 depending from ring plate 28,- is dispose-(i beneath and in register with. each exhausthead i 30.

The transfer arm I 6 is a slide disposed in channel bar 38' mounted on a plate 4-0 on top of post 42;. The channel bar 38 has a pair of plates 39: mounted on the topthereof which partially overlie the. transfer arm It to retain it therein (Fig; 6). Arm 44, mounted. on post 42,v has a bearing-I16 on therfreeend thereof, through which shaft 48 extends; Lever: 50-..niounted. on the upper end of shaft it, has an elongated slot 52 cut therein. at the free end thereof in whichpin 54 upstanding on arm. [6 rides. Lever 56, mounted'on the lower end of shaft it. is connected to lever: 58,. pivotally mounted at 66, by link. 621 Cam roller 64-, mounted on lever 58, rides on cam: 66' mounted on shaft 68.

Arm 1B,.meuhted on. post tkhas a bearing 12 on. the free end: thereof; through which shaft 74 extends. Shaftv M: has a seat; It mounted on the. top: thereof. on. which the lower end of lamp ll! is disposed duringia' portion of. the lamp transfer operation; Swivel; bearing ill connects the lower-end of:shaft 14' to arrarmof bell crank lever at by meanscof: pin. Fl which rides in slot it. Red connectsthie: other arm-10f hell crank lever 89 to lever Stwidclris-pivotd at 86. 0am roller 8d,.mounted on lever: 84,.rid'esorr cam Qflmounted on shaft 58. Shaft; til on: which cams: and 96 are mounted; is: connected through conventional means to the enil'iaust2 machine indexing, mechanismv'a-ndt is drivens thereby, th-us insuring the desired. synchronization of. the exhaust machine indexi-ngswiththetransferring;of the lamp- H]. from the conveyor I2 to the exhaust machine I4 by the transfer arm I6.

Three lamp guide arms 92, 04 and 96 (Fig. 2) are provided to guide and align lamp I in the delivery position on the exhaust machine. Each of the arms is cut away slightly at the free end thereof to receive the lamp I0. Arm 92 is mounted on plate 4| (Figs. 1, 2 and 6) and overlies head I of the transfer arm I6. Arm 34 is mounted on plate 40 and lies beneath head I5. Arm 96 is mounted on post 42 intermediate the ends thereof. Resilient finger 03 is mounted on. the side of arm 92 and resilient finger 95 is mounted on plate 40 adjacent to guide arm 04.

Referring now particularly to Figures 3 and 4, head I5 is a metal block milled out to define an upper plate 38 and a lower plate I00 with a chamber I02 therebetween. The transfer arm I6 extends into the chamber I02 and the head- I5 is secured thereto by screws I04. The front of the head I5 is provided with a crescent-like cutaway with horns I03 on one side thereof to receive the lamp I0. A movable jaw I06 at the other side thereof with a serration I0I cut in the periphery thereof is pivotally mounted at I08 in the lower plate I 00 and lies in the chamber I02. Lever IIO, pivotally mounted at II2 in the lower plate I00, has a cam roller IId mounted on the free end thereof which engages jaw I36. Lever H0 is spring loaded by spring H5, the tension of which may be adjusted by screw H8. Rod I20 extends through lower plate I38 into chamber I02. Block I22, with fin I24 upstanding thereon, is secured to the inner end of rod I20.

A locking device I25 (Fig. 5) for locking the jaw I06 in the closed position is slidably disposed in a casing I28 attached to a side of the head I5 (Fig. 3). The locking device I26 comprises a bar I30 which is bifurcated at the lower end thereof with a cam roller I32 supported in the bifurcation. The bar I30 also has a recess I35 and an elongated slot I36 formed therein. A screw I38, which extends down through the casing I28 and into the bar I30, is provided with a spring I4I concentric therewith, the lower portion of the spring being disposed within the bar I30 and the upper portion thereof engaging cap I40. The screw I38 is provided with an adjusting nut I3I and a locking nut I33. Thus the bar I30 is spring loaded with tension adjustable by manipulation of nut I3I to insure positive engagement of cam roller I32 with bar cam I42 which is attached to plate 40 on post 42 and lies beneath head I5 (Figs. 1 and 4).

The operating cycle of the lamp transfer apparatus will now be described, starting with the transfer arm I6 in the rest position, i. e., with the arm I6 fully retracted in the channel bar 38 and the lamp-grasping head I5 disengaged from the lamp I0 so that the exhaust machine I4 can index and carry the lamp which has just been delivered thereto to the next station (Figs. 1 and 2). In the rest position, the jaw I05 in the head I5 is open and the block I22 on the inner end of the rod I20 is advanced as shown in phantom in Figure 3, and the serration I01 of the jaw I06 is disposed in recess I34 out of register with slot I36 in the bar I25 of the jaw locking device I26 (Figs. 3 and 5).

The forward stroke of the transfer arm I6 starts at about the same time as the exhaust machine starts to index, the head I5 of the transfer arm I6 passing through the lamp loading station as soon a sthe lamp which had previously been transferred thereto has moved therefrom. Counter-clockwise rotation of shaft 68 is translated into forward motion of the transfer arm I6 through cam 60, cam roller 64, lever 58, link 62, lever 56, shaft 48, lever 50 and pin 54 (Figs. 1 and 2). As the transfer arm I6 approaches the conveyor I2, a lamp I0 in a head I8 is brought into transfer position by the conveyor. As may be noted in Figure 3, the open jaw I06 of the transfer arm head I5 is the first part of the transfer apparatus to engage the lamp I0 in the head I8 of the conveyor I2. As the forward stroke of the transfer arm I6 continues, the pressure exerted on the jaw I06 by the lamp I0 effects clockwise rotation of the jaw I06 about its pivot I08. When the high point of the jaw I06 moves past cam roller I I4, the spring-loaded lever I I0 on which the cam roller H4 is mounted snaps the jaw I06 thereby firmly securing the lamp I0 in the head I5. This clockwise rotation of the jaw I06 advances it forward within recess I34 of bar I30 of locking device I26 (Figs. 3 and 5) until serration III? in the periphery thereof is in registry with slot I36 in the bar I30. Since this bar is spring loaded by spring I4I, the bar I30 is pushed downwardly thereby and effects a locking of the jaw I06 in the closed position with serration I01 locked in slot I36. Clockwise rotation of the jaw I06 to the closed position also effects a return of the block I22 from the position shown in phantom to the position shown in solid in Figure 3 since the fin I24 upstanding thereon is in engagement with the jaw I06.

The return stroke of the transfer arm I6 is effected by the same mechanism as that which imparted the forward stroke thereof. Since the force exerted on the lamp I0 by the head I5 of the transfer arm I6 is greater than the force exerted on the lamp by the jaws of the head I8 of the conveyor I2, the head I5 withdraws the lamp I0 from the head I8. As the lamp I0 approaches the loading station of the exhaust machine I4, it strikes the resilient fingers 93 and (Figs. 1 and 2) and deflects them. The cam roller I32 (Figs. 2 and a) then strikes the bar cam I42, and the bar I30 of the locking device I26 is caused to move upwardly, the rise in the bar cam I42 being great enough to effect disengagement of the serration I01 on the periphery of the jaw I06 with the slot I36 in the bar I30. The serrated portion of the jaw I05 now lies in the slot I34 in the bar I30 and thus the jaw I06 is no longer locked in closed position. As the return stroke of the transfer arm It continues, the lamp l0 strikes the lamp guide arms 92, 94 and 95 (Fig. 2) and the previously deflected resilient fingers 03 and 05 snap closed on the lamp. Since the guide arms 92, 94 and 53 ar maintained in a fixed position, the lamp I0 ca move rearwardly no further. Thus, as the transfer arm I6 continues its return stroke, the pivotally mounted jaw I06 will be rotated counter-clockwise to the open position as shown in phantom in Figure 3 due to the force exerted thereon by the fixed lamp I0. Opening of the jaw I06 is further aided by an auxiliary jaw-opening device comprising rod I20, block I22 and fin I2 3 (Fig. 3), the rod I20 striking the fixed channel bar 38 (Fig. 2) during the last portion of the return stroke of the transfer arm I6, the remainder of the return stroke effecting advancement of block I22 with fin I24 in engagement with jaw I06 from the position shown in solid to the position shown in phantom in Figure 3.

The return stroke of the transfer arm 16 has now been completed. The lamp II] is now moved upwardly to place the exhaust tube H in engagement with exhaust head 39 (Fig. 2). Clockwise rotation of shaft 68 is translated into upward movement of shaft 14 through cam 90, earn follower 88, lever 84, rod 82, bellcrank lever 69 and swivel bearing '58. As the shaft 14 moves upwardly, the seat 16 on the top thereof engages the lower end of the lamp In and pushes the lamp upwardly until the exhaust tube H enters the head 30, the force exerted on the lamp by the resilient fingers 93 and 95 not being great enough to prevent this upward movement. As the shaft 68 continues its clockwise rotation, the return stroke of the shaft 74 is effected, thus withdrawing the seat '16 on the top thereof from contact with the lower end of the lamp It]. With the transfer arm and the lamp push-up mechanism in their rest positions, the exhaust machine lamp gripping jaw St is caused to close about the lamp In and the exhaust machine I4 is indexed carrying lamp 10 from the loading station and bringing the next exhaust machine head into position to receive a lamp.

What we claim is:

1. Apparatus for automatically transferring an elongated tubular lamp, having an exhaust tube extending axially from an end thereof, from a supply source to an exhaust machine having a head disposed at a lamp-receiving station thereon, said apparatus comprising: a transfer arm; a jaw mounted at an end of said transfer arm for gripping the lamp; means for reciprocating said arm in a horizontal plane between the lamp supply source and the lamp-receiving station on the exhaust machine to pick up a lamp from the supply source and carry it to a position beneath and in register with the head of the lamp exhaust machine at the lamp-receiving station; and means for raising the lamp at the lamp-receiving station on the exhaust machine to move the lamp exhaust tube into the head at the lampreceiving station.

2. Apparatus for automatically transferring an elongated tubular lamp, having an exhaust tube extending axially from an end thereof, from a supply source to an exhaust machine having a head disposed at a lamp-receiving station thereon, said apparatus comprising: a transfer arm; a jaw mounted at an end of said transfer arm for gripping the lamp; means for reciprocating said arm in a horizontal plane between the lamp supply source and the lamp-receiving station on the exhaust machine to pick up a lamp from the supply source and carry it to a position beneath and in register with the head of the lamp exhaust machine at the lamp-receiving station; a lock on said transfer arm for securing said jaw in gripping engagement with the lamp during the delivery stroke of said transfer arm; and means for raising the lamp at the lamp-receiving station on the exhaust machine to move the lamp exhaust tube into the head at the lamp-receiving station.

3. Apparatus for automatically transferring an elongated tubular lamp, having an exhaust tube extending axially from an end thereof, from a supply source to an exhaust machine having a head disposed at a lamp-receiving station thereon, said apparatus comprising: a transfer arm; a jaw mounted at an end of said transfer arm for gripping the lamp; means for reciprocating said arm in a horizontal plane between the lamp supply source and the lamp-receiving station on the exhaust machine to pick up a lamp from the supply source and carry it to a position beneath and in register with the head of the lamp exhaust machine at the lamp-receiving station; a lock on said transfer arm for securing said jaw in gripping engagement with the lamp; means for securing said lock after the reciprocating transfer arm has been extended; means for releasing said look after the reciprocating transfer arm has been retracted; and means for raising the lamp at the lamp-receiving station on the exhaust machine to move the lamp exhaust tube into the head at the lamp-receiving station.

4. Apparatus for automatically transferring an elongated tubular lamp, having an exhaust tube extending axially from an end thereof, from a supply source to an exhaust machine having a head disposed at a lamp-receiving station thereon, said apparatus comprising: a transfer arm; a jaw mounted at an end of said transfer arm for gripping the lamp; means for reciprocating said arm in a horizontal plane between the lamp supply source and the lamp-receiving station on the exhaust machine to pick up a lamp from the supply source and carry it to a position beneath and in register with the head of the lamp exhaust machine at the lamp-receiving station; a lock on said transfer arm for securing said jaw in gripping engagement with the lamp; means, actuated by the closing of said jaw about the lamp at the lamp supply source, to secure said lock; means, actuated by the movement of said transfer arm into the lamp-receiving station on the exhaust machine, to release said lock; and means for raising the lamp at the lamp-receiving station on the exhaust machine to move the lamp exhaust tube into the head at the lamp-receiving station.

ERIC L. MIDGLEY.

CHARLES A. YOUNG.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 890,316 Wadsworth June 9, 1908 1,016,428 Mulholland Feb. 6, 1912 1,355,296 Winkley Oct. 12, 1920 1,953,492 May Apr. 3, 1934 2,324,362 Chandler July 13, 1943 2,360,365 Renfroe Oct. 17, 1944 2,416,815 Calhoun Mar. 4, 1947 2,584,466 Kaserman Feb. 5, 1952 

